Humble Hearts: Signs of Arrogance and How to Guard Against It
Bismillah hirahmaan niraheem Asalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh Dear Islamic brothers and sisters, I want to share some thoughts about arrogance-what it looks like, why it’s dangerous, and how to protect ourselves from it. What is arrogance? - Thinking you are better than others - Not caring about other people’s feelings or views - Refusing advice, talking over people, or acting like you’re always right - Often coming from fear or insecurity - Bad pride - Needing constant praise or attention - Not admitting mistakes or apologising Types of arrogance: 1. Arrogance towards Allah - this is disbelief. 2. Arrogance towards the Prophets - this is also disbelief. 3. Arrogance towards other people - thinking others are beneath you. This is less severe than the first two but still a deadly sin of the heart and strictly forbidden. Words of Imam Al-Ghazali (rahimahullah): An arrogant person cannot show true piety, because piety needs humility. Arrogance hides hatred in the heart, causes lying to keep reputation, leads to anger and jealousy, prevents doing good, increases backbiting, and makes one deaf to advice. Sometimes arrogance appears in gestures-frowning, turning the nose up, staring angrily, sitting in a proud way, walking with a swagger. At other times it appears in speech-saying things like “You are nothing” or “How dare you speak to me?” These actions are arrogance when the heart contains pride; without pride they are just actions. Hadith reminders: - The arrogant will be humiliated on the Day of Resurrection and punished severely. - Allah will not look at the one who drags his garment out of pride. - The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said no one with even a mustard-seed of arrogance in their heart will enter Paradise; similarly, even a small weight of faith will keep one from Hell. People are purified of arrogance before entering Paradise. Story: A crown too heavy to wear A king, given fine clothes and a grand ride, grew proud. When the angel of death appeared in the guise of a poor, torn man and whispered to him that death had come, the king suddenly realised his pride meant nothing. He begged for time, but was told he would never see his wealth or family again, and his life ended. The tale shows that pride collapses at death; nothing we boast about follows us to the grave. How to protect yourself from arrogance - Reflect: If arrogance angers Allah and leads to punishment, ask yourself how you will face that on the Day of Judgment. - Make sincere du’a: “O Allah, help me be pious, remove arrogance and evil from my heart, protect me from Shaytan and the nafs, and make me humble.” - Focus on your shortcomings and work to improve them instead of showing off. - When someone else is right, admit it and praise them: “What you said was correct, may Allah reward you.” - Practice humility: visit others, accept invitations from everyone (including the poor), and wear simple clothes to remind yourself of modesty. A note from our scholars: Clothing worn out of arrogance is forbidden. If putting on clothes changes your attitude to become prideful, then that clothing has brought arrogance into you-avoid it. Spiritual practices that help: - Constant dhikr, salawat on the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), recitation of the Qur’an, and daily ruqyah can protect the heart from arrogance. Dua for us all: O Allah, make us humble and protect us from arrogance in our hearts, speech, and actions. Keep us safe from pride, jealousy, and all evils that distance us from You. Help us accept the truth, learn from others, and act with sincerity and humility. Grant us piety, good character, and closeness to You, and save us from the punishment of arrogance in this world and the Hereafter. Ameen, by the honor of the Trustworthy Prophet, may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family. Ameen.